Directions

Place the salad greens in a large bowl. Add the red onion, pear, pecans, and blue cheese, and toss to mix evenly.

To make the dressing, place the maple syrup, vinegar, mayonnaise, brown sugar, salt, and pepper in a blender, and blend thoroughly. With the motor running, slowly pour in the walnut oil. Blend until mixture becomes creamy, about 1 minute. Pour over salad mixture, and toss to coat greens evenly. Serve immediately.

Most Helpful Positive Review

Sep 17, 2007

I made this salad to take to a holiday dinner, but I made it first just for my family to make sure that we liked it. I made a recipe to serve 6. When I took the salad to the holiday dinner I increased the recipe to serve 12, but I still made the dressing according to the recipe for 6 and there was plenty of dressing for the larger amount of salad ingredients.
This is our new favorite salad recipe. I was a little hesitant when I started pricing walnut oil at the grocery stores, but I saw it at three different stores for 3 different prices ranging from $3.99-$11.95. I would definitely use the walnut oil and not substitute another type of oil. I can't wait to find more recipes calling for walnut oil. It really adds a nice touch.

Most Helpful Critical Review

Nov 09, 2010

I have made this salad, but used Poppyseed Dressing in a bottle. Found that using 1/2 bottle was just right. For those who don't want to go to the trouble of making their own dressing, this is a quick and delicious option and you can control how much dressing to use. I've also used Bartlett and Anjou pears as well.

Cha-ching! I loved this - everyone loved it. Only thing I did differently is I subbed honey for the maple syrup which I always do when it's called for in any recipe and I used just a bit less brown sugar. I can't stand the flavor of maple syrup anywhere but on my pancakes. This dressing was excellent, unique and complimented the ingredients of this salad perfectly. This will be made often. Thanks Sperl25.

Essentially this salad is all about the dressing, the toppings are just delicious accessories. Having no walnut oil, I used pecan oil, but kept all other ingredients the same. Once emulsified, I found the dressing too sweet, but didn't want to add additional vinegar, so I squeezed in about a tsp. of grainy dijon mustard. By doing so, the sweetness was reduced and it perfectly balanced the brown sugar/ maple notes. I tossed red leaf lettuce in the dressing, added sliced pears and topped with crumbled goat cheese. Simple, a little different and even holiday-table worthy. Thanks.

Better than 5 stars!!! I made this salad exactly as it's listed and it was awesome. I had a ton of dressing left over. Since there are so many great ingredients and flavors in this salad a little bit of dressing went a long way. All of the ingredients in this salad complimented each other. I will pass this recipe off to my friends and definitely make again.

This is my favorite salad to make but definitely just use half the dressing or it is too 'soupy' and lettuce will become wilted. I don't keep walnut oil on hand so I use olive oil in the dressing and it is just fine. I make this as a main course by adding about 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries, torn rotisserie chicken that I pick up at the store, and serve it with a baked sweet potato. For the candied pecans, I use the Spicy Mixed Nuts from this site. It's an easy and delicious meal that doesn't keep me in the kitchen after working all day.

My family and I love this recipe with a few simple adjustments. First, we double the amount of salad because the amount of dressing this makes is way too much for just one bag. Or we refrigerate the unused dressing a air tight container. Second, I don't use the red onion. Third, and most importantly, I just use 1/6 cup of apple cider vinegar or the flavor is overwhelming. Oh and baby greens or spring mix are the best mixes for this salad.

I made this salad for a gathering and it was the hit of the meal. Everyone asked for the recipe and on a scale of 1 to 10 said it was an 11. Here are my modifications. I did not candy the pecans. Just roasted at 375 for about 6-8 minutes. I had to switch the cheese to feta for one person, and I think blue cheese would be better, but for those who don't like blue cheese, this is still a great option. I also used light mayo, but did buy roasted walnut oil and pure maple syrup for the dressing. The second time around I don't think pure maple syrup is necessary. And EVOO could be fine as a substitute for the walnut oil, but maybe not quite as good. It makes enough for more than two salads, but I can't wait to eat some tonight with dinner. Really yummy. It may be my new go-to salad recipe!

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.